The present invention is related to a support particularly suitable for use in the treatment of canine hip dysplasia, lumbosacral disorder and for relief of symptoms associated therewith.
Hip dysplasia is a common ailment in canines and animals of similar skeletal structure. Dysplasia is considered to be a genetically predisposed condition resulting from improper growth of the joint components. Early signs of dysplasia are joint looseness, also referred to as laxity, which can increase in severity to subluxation, or partial dislocation of the hip joint. Ultimately the disease can be manifest as severe arthritic change in the joint structure.
Treatment of canine hip dysplasia (CHD) depends on the severity. Severity often is a function of the animals age when CHD is accurately diagnosed. If detected early the effects of CHD can be mitigated by conservative treatments including weight control supplements and exercise. As with any joint disease, movement can be painful and therefore an animal may become lethargic even in the early stages of CHD. Inactivity exasperates CHD, therefore, it is important to exercise an animal with CHD yet it is difficult to entice a diseased animal to exercise due to the pain. More advanced stages of CHD may require medication or surgery. Even in severe cases improving muscle tone can mitigate the effects of the disease process and, in some cases, arrest the deterioration. 
As with any medical procedure it is the desire of the clinician to minimize the necessity for medication and surgery whenever possible. Unfortunately, the most effective way to accomplish this goal is unattractive to the animal due to hip pain. It has therefore been a long-standing desire for a device which can alleviate, prosthetically, the pain associated with CHD. Minimizing the pain allows more conservative treatment to be aggressively pursued thereby potentially eliminating surgical or drug related intervention.